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Violence
(ending soon) State Violence - |Stevens2018:/The Violence of Dogmatic Pacifism> :"I was once a hardcore Christian pacifist who would justify non-violence in the face of rape, robbery, military occupation, police violence, or systemic racist violence. I have read much of the literature, attended and taught pacifist trainings/conferences/events, and have previously been one to publicly shame more militant tactics. As my political work has transitioned from liberal policy activism to revolutionary organizing (lead by and for the oppressed, working toward collective liberation) I have learned more historically-nuanced notions of violence, non-violence, and self-defense. I have come to think dogmatic Christian pacifism can be extremely dangerous and violent to oppressed human and non-human peoples." ""Violence means working for 40 years, getting miserable wages and wondering if you ever get to retire… Violence means state bonds, robbed pension funds and the stock market fraud… Violence means unemployment, temporary employment…. Violence means work "accidents"… Violence means being driven sick because of hard work… Violence means consuming psych-drugs and vitamin s in order to cope with exhausting working hours… Violence means working for money to buy medicines in order to fix your labor power commodity… Violence means dying on ready-made beds in horrible hospitals, when you can't afford bribing." - Proletarians from occupied headquarters of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), Athens, December 2008" Domestic Violence For Melinda Arnold and Jerry Retford, films about domestic violence are personal - SMH (TW: graphic images of simulated violence against women, descriptions of domestic abuse, stigmatization of psychotic disorders) ""I was very physically and verbally abusive in my marriage," he said. "And then very verbally and emotionally abusive in a subsequent relationship. I really got to the point where it couldn't go on any more." Retford went through a Relationships Australia course on taking responsibility three times before he was able to control his emotions. "It was massively life-changing," he said. "The men that I was working alongside, they weren't psychopaths or monsters. "They were men that needed help with their behaviour. But more than that, they were men – and I count myself in this – that needed to emotionally grow up."" ... ""I know there are psychopaths and sociopaths out there but a lot of men are just emotionally immature," she said. "They just don't have the tools. My ex-partner didn't have the tools ... "It's being aware of the feelings inside you and instead of reacting, taking a moment to pause and think. It's something everybody can use." For Retford, the lightbulb moment comes when men realise they are making a choice to be abusive. Taking responsibility for their own emotions – and making a better choice – leads to healthier relationships. "I was a seven-year-old boy in a 35-year-old man's body," he said. "It would have been terrifying for my ex-wife and my partner at the time. "If you help men grow up and take responsibility for their stuff, they can meet their partner on a mature emotional level."" Autism and Violence Selections of writings from Autistic disability rights activist+writer+speaker Lydia X.Z. Brown: |AutisticHoya:/Brown2012/Can I hide somewhere until it's over? :"Here are some facts. *Autistics are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators. *When Autistics commit crimes, being Autistic rarely has anything to do with the actual crime. *Autism is not violence. *Mental health disabilities aren't violence. *People with mental health disabilities are also more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators." |AutisticHoya:/Brown2012/The Dangers of Misrepresentation> :"Although even a peer-reviewed paper published as early as 1991Ghaziuddin, M., Luke Tsai, and N. Ghaziuddin. "Brief Report: Violence in Asperger Syndrome, a Critique." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 21.3 (1991): 349-54. Print. found no evidence for any correlation between violence and Asperger's Syndrome— further finding that the incidence of violent behavior in those with Asperger's is lower than the incidence in the total population—the media has continually and repeatedly conflated being Autistic with a propensity toward violent or criminal behavior. Because of the fallacious and damaging assumptions still widely held today that Autistics lack empathy, do not recognize that other people have minds, and are incapable of expressing emotions, especially concern for others, it is very easy for the uninformed journalist to hear "autism spectrum disorder" in reference to a criminal defendant and jump to the unfortunate conclusion that serial killers, murderers, rapists, and terrorists must be Autistic because of their apparent lack of empathy for others and any other traits that fit neatly onto a checklist of Stereotypes about Autistics." |AutisticHoya:/Brown2014/I am autistic, and I am obsessed with violence> :"After the Virginia Tech shootings, I read news articles that described Seung-Hui Cho as a socially awkward loner who had been bullied in the past. As much as I empathized with his victims and their living loved ones, I also instinctively empathized with him too. :This doesn’t mean that I’m somehow okay with murder or that I think he’s less guilty or that his crimes should be excused or ignored. It just means that my empathy is not selective, and I don’t think that that’s a bad thing." :"I can tell you why I am obsessed with violence. :It is because I am also completely and absolutely committed to the ideal of justice. ... The broad theme of my work for the past five years has been addressing violence against disabled people, especially disabled people made even more vulnerable because they also happen to be queer, trans, poor, immigrants, or people of color. Violence against us happens all the time, both by other people in the community and by government forces." :"If you’re reading this essay, all I can ask is that you consider an alternative narrative. Instead of trying to play the blame game for violence – autistics one day, people with mental illness the next, every young Black man the week after that – can we start to focus on healing within ourselves and our communities? Can we cope with our trauma in less hurtful ways?" Category:Violence Category:Abuse Category:Power